Pump for wool-washing machines.



P. e. SARGENT. UMP FOR WOOL WASHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, 1914. A L, Patented Feb.9, 1915.

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FREDERICK G. SARGENT, OF WESTFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO C. G.

SARGENTS SONS CORPORATION7 OF GRANITEVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, A COR-PO-RATION OF MASSACHUSETIS.v

PUMP ron WOOL-WASHING MACHINES.

i ,respira Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. if, 1915..

T0 all /iem/m it may conc-ern le it known that I, Fnnnnmek G. SAnGnNT, acitizen of the United States, residing at vVestford, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented 'a new and usefulPump for /Vool-Washing Machines, of which the following is aspeeification.

This invention relates to the discharge of the liquor from the catchbasin under the press rolls of a wool washing machine into the settlingtank thereof.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide foraccon'lplishing this operation in such a, way as to avoid the churningand foaming of the liquor; to avoid stirring up the sediment in thebottom of the catch basin from which the liquor is drawn; to deliver theliquor into the settling tank in a smooth and easy manner; and at thesame time to provide an apparatus for this purpose which shall have novalves to clog up and no small parts that can catch the libers and thushave their efliciency reduced.

The invention also involves improvements in details of construction andcombinations of parts as will appear hereinafte'r.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which-- Figure 1is a perspective view of a portion of a wool washing machine with apreferred embodiment of thisinvention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is asectional view of the same on a vertical plane parallel to the side ofthe tank through the central axis of the pump; and Fig. 3 is asideelevation of one of the sections of the pump.

The pumping of the liquor from the catch basin of a wool washing machineto the settling tank is an operation that presents considerablediflieulty. This liquor has soap and alkali dissolved in it and alsocontains woolibers and a great deal of sediment. The ordinary lift pumpis not suitable for this purpose because its valves 'clog up with mudand sediment in a short time and further on accounty of the plungingaction which churns up the liquor and causes it to froth the foam. Thefibers also get into the valves and act similarly to the sediment. This:foaming action is a condition to which this liquor is especiallysubject on account of the materials put in to wash the wool. The eh'ainbucket pump is somewhat better but it also produces the churning actionand 'v way much valuable scouringy soap is wasted.

To prevent this loss it is customary to cover or seal the tops of thesettling tanks. I have discovered that by the use of a helical screwpump constructed in a certain Way all this excessive. foaming isavoided; the liquor is left in a better condition in the settling tankto allow the impurities to settle; the sediment in the catch basin isnot stirred up; the cover over the settling tank is dispensed with; anda greater settling of dirt in the settling tank is secured. Of coursethis is thelprime, and in'fact the only object of this tan Referring nowto the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that the invention isapplied to a wool washing tank a of ordinary construction having a setof press rolls l; provided with a catch basin c under the same forcatching the liquor therefrom. The settling tank b is provided along thevside of the main tank. The problem is to get the liquor from the catchbasin, or at least that part of it which does not settle at the bottomin the form of a sediment, into the settling tank in such condition thatit will not stir up the liquor already in there so that the settlingoperation may take place with the greatest etiiciency and speed. Thesettling tank of course delivers back into the bowl in the usual way.For the purpose of accomplishing these results the catch basin isprovided with an outlet l() near the top connected through a pipe 11,preferably horizontal, into the inlet 12 of a stationary cylindricalcasing 13. This casing is located at the side of the settling tank andits inlet is located above its bottom for a purpose which will appear.At the bottom of this easing is a step 14 having a conical top 15. (.)nthis step is a seat 16 preferably of phosphor bronze or the like havinga conical recess in the bottom fitting the cone 15' and securely fixedto the bottom of a shaft 17.

fixed to the shaft and a section of the blade 20 castintegraljtherewith. Each of these sections preferably' g`oes entirelyaround the shaft. These sections canbe strung on the central shaft andfastened thereto by set screws so as to make a, complete helix. Thebottom end of each sectionof the helix fits the top end of the next oneVsecured below. This forms a convenient construction for 'manufacture andpermits ready repairs. The 'seat and step alsocan be removed andreplaced readily in case of/wear.

It will be noted that the bottom of the helix, including the entirelower convolution, goes down below the bottom of the inlet 12 so thatthere is a natural head of waterv above the firstcomplete convolution ofthe helix. It willalso be noted ,that the edge of the blade constitutingthis convolution of the helix, -that is, the lower section, issharpened. Now when the shaft rotates 'the helix, ,which ts the insideof the cylinder, is rotated and the liquor lifted gently and uniformlywithout causing any pulsating vaction either at the inlet or the outlet.In this way a steady stream of liquor is drawn off from the catch basinand passes away from it in the same manner as would be the case if itwere allowed to flow out by gravity. The same condition prevails at theoutlet 23 from which the liquor is delivei'jed by the same easy motioninto the top of the settling tank. It will'be noted that this outlet isin the form of acap 24 fixed on the top of the casing 1,3 and extendingover the top ofthe settling tank. This casing is provided with a bracket25 for supporting the upper end of the shaft 17 and another bracket '26for supporting the idler `pulleys 27. In other words it carries theimmediate driving mechanism for the shaft 17. The

compression grease cup28 on the outside of the casing and the lower endof the casing is provided with a hand hole 29 which can be opened forcleaning purposes and reairs. In this way the liquorisdischarged rom thecatch basin and delivered into the settlingv tank with an easy, steady,and lini Vform ow incapable of causing agitation, g

churning, and foaming and by a mechanism which does not involve anyvalves or other small parts likely to get clogged up by sediycan be madetherein by any person skilled in the art without departing from thescope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore I do notwish to be limited in these respects but What I do claim is 1. Thecombination with a tank, a catch basin, and a settling tank fordelivering liquor into the tank, of a pipe leading from said catchbasin, a stationary vertical cylinder located adjacent to said settlingtank and having an in-take above the bottom thereof into which said pipeextends, a vertical shaft supported on the bottom of said cylinder andextending up through the to thereof, and a helical blade about said shat and adapted to rotate therewith, said blade extending down below theoutlet of the catch basin whereby the water from the catch basinwillenter the bottom of said casing and stand therein normally and belifted without foaming or churning when the shaft is rotated, saidcasing having an outlet delivering into thetop of the settling tank.

` 2. In a device of the character described, the' combination of lacylindricalcasing, a rotatable screw in said casing made up of aplurality of sections each havin a blade constituting one convolution ofa helix, and means for rotating saidscrew.

3. In a deviceofl the character described, the combination of astationary vertical cylindrical casing having an inlet .above the bottomthereof, a verticalrotatable screw insaid casing extending below thebottom of said inlet, made up of a plurality of sections each having ablade-constitutin one convolution of a helix, the edge ofthe lade of thelowest section being sharpened, means for rotating said screw, andanoutlet from said casing at thetop of said screw.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of twosubscribing wltnesses.

FREDERICK G. SARGENT. Witnesses:

CHAs. G. SARGENT, OsoRN H. CIILLEY.

